John Donne lived a life of contradiction. Born to a Catholic family of martyrs and exiles, he fought in the war against Spain, converted to Anglicanism and was appointed to a diplomatic position of some authority. His star seemed firmly in the ascendant, but in marrying young Anne More without her father's permission, he all but brought about his own ruination.<BR><BR>Although the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral at his death, much of Donne's early poetry was satiric and surprisingly bawdy, written largely for private amusement. Even the later, metaphysical tracts for which he is best remembered were to him mere distraction, and far from the focus of his ambition. Nicholas Robins here presents an accomplished and concise biography of the life and career of Donne, charting his progress from an impoverished young writer to one of the most senior churchmen in the country. Woven into his narrative are examples of Donne's own writing which reveal the full richness of the poet.